Friday, January 28, 2011

Good Friday Morning! Dan Wells here, and I hope this note finds you guys well and in good spirits!

Ok, here's my big annoyance, the "potholes" caused by this severe winter weather we've had, could remain in the foreseeable future. (that's what I'm being told)

Over the past couple of months, the city's road infrastructure has suffered extensive damage. If you didn't know fluctuating temperatures are hard on the roads. When temperatures go from freezing to above freezing, the pavement can buckle, which can cause huge headaches for drivers.

The streets department says that my mid-week, the city will begin to see even more potholes. So what do WE do about it?

Well according to Cincinnati Public Services, the department is committed to repair any hazardous pothole within 48 hours of notification of its existence.

If the pothole is small, crews will fill the hole with a cold asphalt mix. For larger repairs a more extensive crew is sent.

The department currently has 4 specialty vehicles that function as pothole and small repair trucks. Each of these trucks comes equipped with a jackhammer for removal of damaged asphalt as well as heated compartments for asphalt and hot tar. These trucks reduce the crew size for pothole repair, freeing up personnel for other operations.

Two new pieces of equipment in Public Services' fleet designed for pothole repairs include a "Spray Injection" machine. These machines are equipped with a bin of aggregate and a tank for an emulsion similar to tar. The materials are mixed as they are blown into the pothole.

Sometimes damaged areas are too large for any of these types of repairs.

In these cases, a "General Repair" crew is sent. These crews handle repairs ranging from small sunken areas to hand paving alleys. They apply an asphalt overlay to the surface. The area is prepared by being swept and then covered with tar. Asphalt is then wheel-barrowed into place and raked smooth. A small roller then compresses the asphalt into a smooth surface. The edges are sealed with tar to complete the repair.

Citizens requesting street repairs should call our hotline at 591-6000, or submit an on-line Service Request.